We’re on our way back to the fire station after finishing a fire demonstration at the elementary school, and if all goes to plan and the tones don’t drop between then and now, we’ll be ending our shift and heading home.
Forty-eight hours straight with these assholes and I’m running on adrenaline.
Tonight, we’re all heading to the property the boys and I own together for a long weekend. We bought it a few years ago and threw in all of our savings. When we first purchased it, it was nothing special; just an empty block of land sitting along the lake. It had been up for sale for a while before we got our hands on it. At first, we camped, and over the years we’ve built our own cabins, and they’re fucking beautiful. I can’t wait to get Amelia up there and show it off.
I built a log style cabin from scratch. In fact, we all did. It’s an open floor plan with two bedrooms and a bathroom off the main living room. Then to finish it off, I built a small deck out front overlooking the lake. My cabin sits at the end of the other three nestled in closer to the pine trees.
It’s only a two-hour drive from home, so we try to head up there as much as possible, but with work, sometimes getting there is a lot harder than it sounds.
The weather isn’t warm enough to take the boat out, but we all have dirt bikes sitting in the shed ready to go. It’s usually just us boys that go, team bonding, and all that shit. But this weekend, I’m bringing the girls along with me.
Just thinking about the girls and how much fun they’re going to have brings a smile to my face. Amelia suggested we go up tonight. That way, the girls could sleep in my truck and be put straight to bed once we get there, so then we can make the most of tomorrow.
I frown at the dickhead in the back of the truck. “What’s your problem?” I ask Jet, tossing the phone into the cup holder next to me and crossing my arms over my chest.
“You. You’re my problem,” he says, snapping at me for the hundredth time today. “What’s happening to you, man? You’re so fucking pussy whipped,” he laughs to himself, earning a good chuckle out of the other guys.
He thinks he’s hilarious. He’s obviously delirious.
Just as the words leave his mouth, I hear Ax smacking him across the back of his head. “The fuck is wrong with you?” Ax says, exasperated. We’re all fucking exhausted and running on fumes.
Ever since I told him I was bringing the girls away this weekend, Jet’s been pissed. And not just a little moody pissed, but full-blown, can’t keep his shit together pissed.
“If I can’t tell you, no one else will,” Jet says as he leans forward and rests his arms across the back of the front seat.
I nudge him straight off. I don’t need him any closer to me. No one has the energy to even answer him. But if he keeps going, I’ll find the fucking energy to punch him.
“What?” his eyes pop out of his head as he looks between all of us. “Aww, come on. You can’t tell me that you’re not all thinking it?”
“Fuck off, Jet,” I grumble, feeling myself starting to get frustrated.
Chief murmurs towards the back seat while keeping his eyes on the road ahead. “Ten minutes, man. Just ten minutes of you not talking will make my fucking day.”
“You’re all crazy.” Jet circles his finger around the side of his head. “It’s fucking annoying how much he’s been checking his phone over the past two weeks, texting his woman.”
Despite how frustrating Jet’s been since the start of our shift, I can’t help but like the way the words ‘his woman’ sounded, but then he has to go and open his mouth again. “Kids, man. Are you sure you’ve thought this through? You had the perfect arrangement with Jessa. Why change it? Jessa is fucking crazy; I know she’s a hot fuck in the sack.” He keeps on going, getting more animated as he goes. “Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of crazy, and that girl is bat shit fucking crazy. She’s a serious stage five clinger, man.”
My brows pull down. Are we talking about the same chick? “No, she’s not. Jessa’s cool. We both wanted convenience, and that’s it. Nothing more. She knew that. I don’t even remember the last time I spoke to her, but what does it matter? We’re done.”
“Does she know that?” Chief grumbles with a smirk playing on his lips.
“What?”
“Jessa? Does she know you’re done?”
“No,” I say, not understanding what the big deal is and where he’s going with this. “I don’t owe her a conversation. It was get in and get out. She knows that.” I shake my head, looking back down at my phone, checking to see if my mom has texted back, putting an end to the conversation. After all, nothing further needs to be said on the matter.